If you’d have asked me the same time last year to predict whether the UConn Huskies would make it for a three-peat, I’d put all my bets in their favor. It’s hard to come off as the defending champion to go down the way they did. To put things into perspective, they danced past 1,102 days with a single loss! Registering themselves as back-to-back defending champion, a feat achieved for the first time in nearly two decades, to holding a record 13-game NCAA Tournament winning streak this season, in the end, it was just too little, too late. Sweet 16 is just hours away, and the favorites have been picked: It’s either Auburn or Florida. But if you ask Seth Davis, there’s another moving part to the story. But before we get to that…

Auburn’s late-season slump had folks questioning their No. 1 seed status. But it recovered and has stormed into the Sweet 16 looking every bit like a title contender. They haven’t been here since 2019, but they’re on a mission to do more than just show up this time. This season, the Bruce Pearl-coached team is currently at a 30-5 overall (PCT: .857) and 15-3 conference record (PCT: .833). Fresh off an 82-70 win vs Creighton, the Tigers are now scheduled to clash against Michigan on March 28. But it doesn’t look like Coach Pearl will be too worried. Just earlier this month, he had stated, “This team deserves a [SEC] championship…Our team is working really hard to try to make some progress on the court. Together we can do great things. I really do believe that we can become relevant in the world of college basketball.” 

Coach Todd Golden’s Florida, meanwhile, is enjoying its first Sweet 16 appearance in eight years. After breezing past 16th-seeded Norfolk State in the first round, they took down defending champs UConn, sending a loud-and-clear message: the Gators are here to stay. The Athletic‘s Jim Root, earlier this week, even ranked the team at No. 2 in the Sweet 16—the highest-ranked Southeastern Conference school among all other schools. Even ESPN’s Jay Bilas noted the difference between this season and last season, where they went 36–30 (13–17 SEC)—is defense. He also added how the Gators have clearly proved that “it can win against almost any style of play”. But wait. Seth Davis thinks we’re all missing someone. On The Rich Eisen Show, the broadcaster was asked which team isn’t getting enough love but has the potential to shake things up. His answer? 

“I don’t think we’re talking about Houston enough,” Davis said. “Everyone talks about their defense, their toughness, offensive rebounding, and all important things [but] they are number one in the country in three-point percentage (39.8%).” That’s a game-changer.

Davis went on to highlight Houston’s head coach, Kelvin Sampson, who took over in 2015 and completely turned the program around. “Before Sampson arrived, Houston hadn’t won an NCAA tournament game since 1984,” Davis noted. Fast forward to today, and they’ve become a tournament fixture. An Elite Eight, a Final Four, a Sweet 16 appearance last year—they’ve been knocking on the door for years. Notably, the Cougars have been ranked No. 3 as per The Athletic, behind just Duke and Florida. And why shouldn’t they?

This season, the team has been flat-out dominant. With 32-4 record and 1st in Big 12, they are killing it in the postseason, too. If you’re not convinced, just ask Gonzaga. Houston took down the Zags 81-76 in a clash of two of the most consistent programs in the country. It was a true battle of opposites—Houston’s lockdown defense versus Gonzaga’s high-powered offense.

And guess what?

Houston won playing Gonzaga’s game (offense). That’s dominance. Yes, it’s time to put some respect on the Cougars’ name. Now, next up, they face Purdue in Indianapolis.

Is Houston at a disadvantage in their next game?

Jon Rothstein is absolutely ripping into the NCAA over Houston’s placement in this bracket. “This is as ridiculous of a geographic situation as I’ve ever seen for a top seed in the NCAA Tournament,” Rothstein said. His issue is Houston, the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region, now has to play Purdue in a virtual home game for the Boilermakers—just 69 miles from their campus.

“Top seeds are supposed to get some level of protection, right?” Rothstein continued. “Instead, Houston is going to have to win two road games just to get to the Final Four.” He’s got a point. 

Kentucky (No. 3 seed) and Tennessee (No. 2 seed) are also in the Midwest Region, and their travel distances aren’t exactly rough—188 miles and 359 miles to Indianapolis, respectively. Houston’s is over 1,000 miles.

To be fair, Houston was going to have to travel no matter what. The only closer regional site was Atlanta, about 800 miles away. But still, Rothstein’s frustration makes sense. If the Cougars can take down Purdue and possibly Kentucky or Tennessee? They’ll be battle-tested like no other team in the tournament.

And if they do pull it off? The Final Four will be much friendlier—San Antonio is practically home turf. So yes, they have hurdle ahead but as Davis believes, “Houston’s absolutely good enough to win this thing,” we’d like to put our trust in them too and see if they can win it all.